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NEW YORK, NY — On Monday, Clearview Cinemas announced via PRNewswire that on Friday, August 27 its 300-seat theatre at 62nd and Broadway will reopen as Cinema Latino — the only all Latino movie house in Manhattan.

The single-screen will exclusively show first run Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese films with English subtitles imported from 20 different countries.

“Don’t know if this is newsworthy in Cinema Treasures but it seems there is a battle brewing in the St. Charles County area of St. Louis with two new 14-screen multiplexes planned by rival companies.

Wehrenberg announced that they are planning a 14-screen multiplex at Dardenne Prairie, called Dardenne Crossroads located on the prime location at Highway 40 and Highway N. This was announced a week after Great Escape Theatres announced their 14-screen complex at WingHaven.

This will put 28 screens in the St. Charles county area that has been growning at a tremendous rate. The economic developer for St. Charles country says “I just don’t know if the area can support that many movies screens.” Both theaters are scheduled to open next year.

In nearly all other cases, Cinema Treasures is closed for public holidays.

However, we have received a large number of emails from moviegoers trying to contact R. L. Fridley and Fridley Theatres to either commend the owner of the mid-western theater chain for refusing to show Michael Moore’s new film “Fahrenheit 9/11” or scold him for his decision.

First, we would like to note that we are NOT Fridley Theatres and if you want to email the company, please visit their website. Second, we are more than happy to open a debate here on the news page, so please feel free to post your thoughts.

For more news about the film and its possible influence on Hollywood, read today’s New York Times, which also features a photo of the Gateway Theatre in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Gary Flinn has also sent us a link to the Ann Arbor News story covering Lila Lipscomb’s visit to the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor yesterday.

For more information about Fridley Theatres' decision to ban the film from its screens, read today’s Chicago Sun-Times.

Thanks and if you were celebrating, hope you had an enjoyable Independence Day.

NEW YORK, NY — The Madstone Theaters company has folded, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune and Indiewire.
Madstone, which laid off 180 people, announced simply: “The company was not able to achieve its business goals.”

Madstone has now closed its theaters in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Ann Arbor, MI, Cary, NC, Chandler, AZ, Denver, Salt Lake City, and San Diego. According to Indiewire, its Tampa location will remain open under new management and a similar deal may be in place for its San Diego theater.

ANCHORAGE, AK — Today, the Anchorage Daily News takes a look at the effectiveness of the MPAA rating system.

Designed in 1968 by MPAA head Jack Valenti, the system has been used by Hollywood for decades to help parents have more informed choices about the movies they’re children are watching. But, in today’s media environment, is the system still an effective tool for reducing childrens' exposure to sex and violence?

With lax enforcement policies at theaters, video chains that don’t check for age, and cable television channels that serve up popular (and violent) content like the “Sopranos”, are we really protecting children from things they haven’t seen?

“ShoWest is the largest annual convention for the motion picture industry. As the only international gathering devoted exclusively to the movie business, it attracts as a matter of course the most powerful people in filmmaking: the stars, directors, producers, and studio executives responsible for creating the most successful motion pictures in the world. It is also the single largest international gathering of motion picture professionals and theatre owners in the world, with delegates from more than 50 different countries in attendance each year.” — www.showest.com

LAS VEGAS, NV — In what will likely be his final appearance at the ShoWest exhibitors convention, Jack Valenti, venerable head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), announced plans to step down within the next few months.

Valenti, who is now 82, has served as president and CEO of the industry lobbying group since 1966, when he accepted the position after leaving a stint as a staffer in the Johnson administration.

LONDON, ENGLAND — Nigel and Terry Green of Entertainment Group are angling to buy a controlling interest in Odeon Cinemas, according to a recent report in the Evening Standard. The chain is reportedly for sale for less than the current owner’s original purchase price.

MONTREAL, CANADA — Cineplex Galaxy Theatres LP (formerly Cineplex Odeon), owner of several Montreal area cinema complexes, plans to open a 16-screen theater and is eyeing the AMC 22 theaters at the Pepsi Forum (formerly the NHL home of the Montreal Canadiens), according to this report in the Montreal Gazette.

Cineplex is also lowering ticket prices at the flagship Latin Quarter theatre complex. Starting Friday, full-price tickets will drop $2 to $9.50 and tickets for midweek shows, children, and seniors will be a flat $7.50. Prices at the Cote des Neiges theatre will drop $1.76 to $5.74.